How to Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Windows 10


In Windows, you can use themes to help make your desktop feel a little more personal. Themes change the desktop background, colors, sounds, screen saver, and pointers for your account all at once, and you can change a theme as often as you like.

If you like, you can prevent all users on the PC from being able to change or save a theme. Individual elements of theme such as desktop background, colors, sounds, screen saver, and pointers can still be changed.

This tutorial will show you how to allow or prevent specific or all users from being able to change or save a theme in Windows 10.

You must be signed in as an administrator to allow or prevent changing theme.


 CONTENTS:

  • Option One: To Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Local Group Policy Editor
  • Option Two: To Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme using a REG file


EXAMPLE: Disable change or save theme
Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Windows 10-change_save_theme_disabled-2.jpg Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Windows 10-change_save_theme_disabled-1.jpg






OPTION ONE

To Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Local Group Policy Editor



The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two below.

1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied.

2. In the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor, click/tap on to expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Control Panel, and Personalization. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Windows 10-change_save_theme_gpedit-1.jpg

3. In the right pane of Personalization, double click/tap on the Prevent changing theme policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4. Do step 5 (allow) or step 6 (prevent) below for what you would like to do.


 5. To Allow Users to Change or Save a Theme

A) Select (dot) either Not Configured or Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)

Not Configured is the default setting.


 6. To Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme

A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme in Windows 10-change_save_theme_gpedit-2.png

7. When finished, you can close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.






OPTION TWO

To Allow or Prevent Users to Change or Save a Theme using a REG file



The .reg files below will add and modify the DWORD value in the registry keys below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

NoThemesTab DWORD

(delete) = Allow
1 = Prevent

1. Do step 2 (allow) or step 3 (prevent) below for what you would like to do.


 2. To Allow All Users to Change or Save a Theme

This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Allow_users_to_change_and_save_theme.reg

Download


 3. To Prevent All Users to Change or Save a Theme

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Prevent_users_to_change_and_save_theme.reg

Download

4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn


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